Wednesday, August 31, 2011

Natural Disasters, Political change and a Dysfunctional Government

009 Natural Disasters are becoming more and more frequent in the last decade or so. Everything from hurricanes, earthquakes and forest fires not only threaten the earths sensitive ecological system it also has become a big threat to all forms of life. There is many people without power, housing, food and or clean water from hurricane Irene. The U.S. Government is dragging their feet on sending aid via F.E.M.A. because they still are bickering over the budget cuts. These are the times when the citizens and businesses should band together to help those unfortunate people in need. There are even some trapped on islands created by flood waters from the hurricane. Trapped with no escape or ability to get food or fresh water. This is something I thought would never happen in the U.S., the government being unable to help the citizens that put them in office and pay the taxes that funds the government itself.

There is time for politics and then there is time for good governing and it seems our congress has no clue on the right time to do either. They enjoy the politics too much to focus on governing. I believe it is either time to do away with the political party system so the politicians can think independently and not be sheep following a blind agenda. I also still believe there should be term limits on a congressional seat so that new ideas can be introduced by new members after so many terms. Lifetime congressional members should be a thing of the past. It’s a new century and its time to overhaul the political system and time to cut away all the fat from our dysfunctional government. Political change never comes quickly nor does it come without some pain and or sacrifice.

The one thing I think the Americans are getting fed up with is this finger-pointing from both sides on who is to blame for the deficit. The cold hard fact is that it's both sides at fault do to both poor governing and lack of the ability to co-operate and to put political party agendas aside to get work done.  Reduce Spending, rewrite the tax code to make it fair and fix all the loopholes. Stop messing with the so-called entitlements that we the people of the united states have been paying for and get rid of the earmarks. Make bills that are passed simple and direct with no string attached or hidden perks. Most of all congress needs to really listen to all of the people they were elected to represent.

When political agendas are more important than people who are in need then it is apparent or government has become dysfunctional and it has lost its way. Wake up congress and learn to prioritize as well as how to work together.

Well right or wrong, that’s my 2 cents worth
Raymond Barbier

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Monday, August 29, 2011

Open your eyes to see the light, open your ears to the truth

LP_product_c A man can go through his whole life feeling as is he has been walking alone. He never sees or hears the one that walks beside him. Never questioning the times he fell and he felt some one catching him and helping him up. Unaware of the many miles that he has been carried and blind to the truth before his own eyes. Looking for signs everywhere only to look past the sign right before him. Such blindness mankind suffers at times, always looking for the complicated answers when it’s the simple truth that he needs.  All his life Jesus walked beside him, many words have been spoken but not heard by him and he has been saved along with carried by Christ but unaware it was so.  Christ walks with us all and god is always with his children, it is our choice to ignore him or to embrace him. Freewill is a gift God gave us and with it we must make our own choices.

Open your eyes to see the light, open your ears to the truth and your heart to his love.

God Bless
Raymond Barbier

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Saturday, August 27, 2011

Not even happiness can exist indefinitely

011Emotions, friend or foe to the modem man? Both, for without emotions we would be nothing but uninspired automatons. Each emotion serves a purpose and some emotions serve several functions. Fear is meant to protect our physical body by directing us away from things that endanger our well-being. Anger serves as a protector emotion by putting us in fight mode when there is either no escape or we feel secure enough to fight. Happiness is an emotion that inspires us to be creative and social so we can grow culturally as well as socially. Sadness keeps us rooted in reality, it reminds us that loss is a part of life as well as the constant reminder of our mortality. Even jealousy can serve a good purpose, for it shows that we cherish our mate when it is over a person and inspires us to work harder so we can better our life when it is jealousy over possessions. Each one of these emotions can either serve us in a positive or negative fashion and which way it does is based on our ability to control them.

Since emotions are a necessary part of our physical experience they should never be shut off or suppressed. The negative aspects of our emotions will exist and even though we can not turn them off we can learn to make them short-lived as well as temper their impact on both ourselves and others. They must be expressed and allowed to come to fruition but they can be channeled into a less destructive way of expression. Surprising them are an unhealthy way to control them and causes a lot of physical side effects that can create an unhealthy body. This is one of the most common ways people get high stress levels, and that in turn creates health problems such as high blood pressure and mental problems such as depression and even nervous breakdowns in the long run. One way to express the negative emotions with little impact on others is to write a journal or log and express them through writing. This gives them an outlet but restricts the negative effects. Express them and then let them go, for no emotion is meant to be permanent. Not even happiness can exist indefinitely, though it would be nice to be in permanent euphoria but it would be unproductive and probably would be troublesome down the line.

Seize the moment, Leave the past and hope for the future.
Raymond Barbier

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Friday, August 26, 2011

There is so much the arts have to offer

001Music touches the soul of the listener, each listener walks away with a different experience from the same song. Music can affect our mood, mind state and the heart rate in our bodies. There is so much music does for us as a species and yet schools are dropping music classes and choir thinking they are not useful. The arts are a very important part of education and our culture. Take away the arts and you have uninspired teens and less culture in our society.

A painting can say different things to each viewer and just like music can affect our mood, mid set and stress levels. There is so much the arts have to offer to our children and teens.

Just my 2 cents worth on the subject.
Raymond Barbier

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For the physical is self minded and the spiritual is selfless

p10234  There is always a constant battle going on within, the physical and the spiritual struggling for absolute control. The lack of balance within is what creates the power struggle and unless the balance between the physical and spiritual self is restored all will remain in chaos. Though the body may be considered nothing but the vehicle for the soul it is also our primary way to interact with the physical world. In the physical realm both the spirit and body are equally important and necessary for our existence. So balance of the two are essential to the fulfillment of our time in the physical world.

One should take care of their spiritual needs as well as the physical. The body needs food, exercise and rest and so does the soul. If you don’t feed your soul it will starve and if you don’t exercise it, it will become week and unhealthy. Even setting a day aside for you to put the spiritualistic aside to let it rest is good. Feed your soul the scriptures of the religion you follow and exercise the soul through following the rituals of your faith. Be it meditation, prayer, fasting or serving the less fortunate it does not matter as long as you do it with conviction and sincerity.

For the physical is self minded and the spiritual is selfless, so the balance of both is the key to living and the secret to being happy. Put more emphasis on the quality of what you have in life more so than the quantity, for materialism leads to a more self-centered than selfless life. Plus all the material wealth and possessions one has can be lost or stolen, the peace, love and happiness you possess can not be stolen only given away. The love you give away usually will return to you exponentially down the line and  it is not always returned from the one you gave it to.

Try not to judge others, but if you must do it so with a light heart for how you judge others is how one day you shall be judged in return. This is why compassion and understanding is a must in one's life, for if you show compassion to others then you shall receive compassion likewise. It all boils down to the idea of karma or the old saying what comes around goes around. the idea of karma is supported by The third of Newton's laws of motion of classical mechanics. The fact that forces always occur in pairs. Every action is accompanied by a reaction of equal magnitude but opposite direction pretty much sums it up.

Well enough of my Spiritual Nonsense for now.
Seek the truth (for yourself) and it shall set you free.

Raymond Barbier

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Thursday, August 25, 2011

I know all of this is just wishful thinking and nothing more than pipe dream.

008 It seems the media thrives on doomsday prophecies and the misfortune of others. What once was informing and entertaining has transformed into fear pushing and theoretical theatre. If the media would put as much time and energy into promoting the real issues at hand and bringing to light the truth about what is going on today as they do the doomsday and political rhetoric the public wouldn’t be so confused about the facts. I know the truth doesn't make good TV neither does the true problems of the world today. Nor do you see much inspiring or uplifting news stories on  t.v. for the feel good thing doesn’t get ratings.

Not only does the media seem to embrace such tactics to keep their ratings up, look at politicians they are likely to say whatever it takes to gain popularity and/or to get into office. Honesty and sincerity is no longer a part of the American life. Too many lies and too much bending of the truth going on in both politics and in the media and not enough accountability. Transparency is a joke for a government is never going to be 100% open and truthful with its public. If they ever were totally open and transparent it may cause either a political upheaval or civilian unrest. Too many things go on behind closed doors in a government for the public to know the truth and some of the things would be considered quite disturbing and unacceptable to the public.

To be honest what happens in Washington behind close doors is no concern to me unless it  directly affects the citizens of our great nation. For as transparency in government I support the idea up to a point. Some things just need to be kept secret in order to protect our national security. I would rather see our congress and president stop the political rhetoric and campaigning long enough to deal with the many issues both on the table and presently being either ignored or avoided. Far as the media goes, they need to stop playing to the ratings and being  political advocates for one party or the other. They need to report the news and bring us the facts in a fair and unbiased fashion. I know all of this is just wishful thinking and nothing more than pipe dream.

For what its worth, that’s my 2 cents worth.
Raymond Barbier

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The family that eats, plays, prays and works together stays together.

dd43853The family unit is one of the most important part of society. Without a functional family unit t individuals would have no preparation for the harsh realities of life we all face. Some families are more functional than others and there are some that are quite dysfunctional. One of the shortcomings I see in modern-day families is that once the children approach the preteen and/or teen years the family group activities diminish if not cease to exist. Without family group activities the communications between the family members become less frequent as well as the trust that the family should have. The once close connection between parents and children break down as well as the connection between siblings. I had first hand experience with some of the problems mentioned above. I watched what once was a close family drift apart as I grew older.

I know that some of it is just a part of growing up, but it seems families are not as close as they once were and that the basic communication skills are lacking in the family unit. The family that eats, plays, prays and works together stays together. The family unit is a child's first social group along with its only true support structure. The child learns right from wrong, how to communicate with others and how to relate with the world outside through this or her family. Eventually the family unit will become second to the child's social peers, and if there was not a strong bond amongst the family unit the social peers will be the social group that will influence the child the most.

The children and teens of today are the leaders, thinkers and the creative force of tomorrow. They are our greatest asset and the family unit is our greatest tool in molding and shaping their future as well as our own. Just something for all you out there to think about .

Peace and Wisdom be your Guiding light in life.
Raymond Barbier

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Wednesday, August 24, 2011

We dig a pit in which we feel there is no escape.

003 I see the emptiness in the eyes of others, they endlessly try to fill it with material goods and through pharmaceuticals. Unfortunately these are only temporary distractions from the emptiness they feel. The lack of meaning in their life and the absence of self-worth makes the empty feeling in them harder to overcome. What exactly is that emptiness or what causes it could be something as simple as low self-esteem or depression. It also could be the lack of spiritual fulfillment as well as not being accepted by their peers. It seems quite apparent that humans as a species require some sort of community and to be accepted in some sort of social group. We tend to be a very social species and we thrive on being  a part of such a group as well as being loved.

Sometimes we tend to create a false image of ourselves within and can not see the real person we are. We deceive ourselves into believing such negative things that we dig a pit in which we feel there is no escape. The hardest part is coming to the realization that we are not as bad off as we believe. It's so easy to fall in to the pit but it is very hard to climb our way out. It is one of things that it probably took you many years to create such a negative self-image and it will take some time to teach yourself to have a more positive image. There are many methods of building self-confidence as well as improving your self-image such as attending religious meetings, meditation, exercise and even writing poetry or a journal.

Every day is but one more step in your personal journey through life and each step leads you forward in your self discovery.  If you search within to find out who you really are you may just find that you are far better person than you once believed. For we seem to be a far stricter judge upon ourselves as well as or actions than we are on others. We have to look at ourselves like we look at friends and family. Judge ourselves with compassion like we do those we love and care about, knowing no one is perfect and to expect perfection from ourselves or others is just plain illogical to say the least. To remember your past mistakes is wise but to punish yourself over them is foolish. We paid the price for the mistakes shortly after we committed them and guilt shouldn’t last beyond a few day to a week. Forgiving ourselves and others seems to be one of the hardest things to do., but it is a necessary part of our life.

Well enough of my Psycho-babble Nonsense.
Peace and Love to All
Raymond Barbier

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Tuesday, August 23, 2011

Come up with some real proven facts.

Most meats such as chicken contain all the ess...Ok here we go again with another flip-flop on the health news front. Now they are claiming that salt is now good for you and that being fat is also good. The once believed fact that cholesterol in food elevates your serum cholesterol in your bloodstream is now been revised to say it is not the cholesterol it is only the fat. Well at least so far they have not wavered on the saturated fat issue as of yet. I really wish they would get their theories behind them and come up with some real proven facts. This zigzag technique of informing the public has caused more worry and harm than good in the long run. I am beginning to think they best policy is to just eat a well-balanced diet and keep active and pay less to what you eat but how much of it you consume.

I also am convinced it’s the quality of the food we consume now days. It seems the nutritional value of most foods bought in supermarkets have lower nutritional values than what our grandparents had back in their day. Plus we have so many chemicals added to food along with the food being processed to death before we even cook it. And we can not forget all the pesticides and herbicides that are used in farming now days along with how much food contamination is happening lately. Food safety and quality should be one of our biggest concerns along with water quality. We are what we eat and if we eat junk we get bodies that run like junk. All in the name of progress and cheaper production costs. The food quality crisis also heavily influences our healthcare problems.

Hopefully they will get real accurate facts about what food is or isn't or bad for you to eat as well as finding the best way to raise the food quality and safety. Until they do, they should keep the theories and unproven facts to themselves to avoid confusion as well as unnecessary stress on the public.

Well that’s my thoughts on the matter.
Peace to all
Raymond Barbier

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Saturday, August 20, 2011

Learn to love and accept ourselves as we are

006 The many yeas or tears and fears take a toll on this aging body. The mind becomes hardened and slow to respond from age and its lack of use. The soul calls out for happiness, peace and solitude as the mind seeks a rational solution. Music becomes a refuge for the soul and the soother of the chaotic mind. Fear of death rears its head occasionally to remind me of my mortality. Yet I fight on and press forward into the uncertain future. Exploring outwardly as much as inwardly to find the truths as well as the balance in my life. Finding answers one day only to lose them the next. Seems it’s a vicious cycle of my spiritual path and my timeline.

Still fighting the little child within me that craves to be loved and accepted while I try to establish the blueprint of whom I desire to be. Time is no longer a friend like it used to be in my days of youth. Between the aging of the body and the knowledge of my own mortality I find myself struggling to make it through each day. The distractions of everyday life become stumbling blocks on my spiritual path. Too many light shows, bells and whistles going off to keep focus most of the time. Though I manage to block them out for the most part. The struggle to find a balance between my religion and my spirituality is not an easy task.

It is so hard to have compassion for everyone when you are surrounded by so many who care not for themselves nor for others. So much fear, anger, greed and such a lack of love in this world. Sometimes I believe people are just terrified by the thought of loving and accepting each other. I guess it must be the fear of being hurt and the experiences they had with those they loved before. If there are no risks involved then there is no real benefit in the action of loving. First off we must learn to accept and love who we are, for each one of us are unique and special beings. We must learn to love and accept ourselves as we are before we can love each other. Through self-examination and self forgiveness we learn to forgive the shortcomings and sins of others.

As my days grow shorter I realize that though we are all individual we are also a part of a complex whole. I see all of us as small pieces of a magnificent collective of thoughts, feelings and ideals. Independently operating, yet somehow collectively manifesting the reality we live in and forming the future yet to come. This gives each of us the ability to enact change on a mass scale by creating a chain reaction. The right words, thoughts or actions can create a chain reaction that could change the world and reality we currently live in. A single voice in the dark can grow to become many voices and eventually change the course of not only mankind but the reality in which we live.

 

Well enough of my babbling for now.
May wisdom be your light and Love be the fuel on your life journey
Raymond Barbier

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Friday, August 19, 2011

We can not allow fear to be what leads us into the future.

003  Fear controls this world, fear of recession, fear of war, fear of famine, fear of Armageddon and fear of the unknown. Too much fear is pushed via the news and by even the politicians. We can not allow fear to be what leads us into the future or let it be what rules us in the present. For fear clouds our ability to make decisions and keeps us from fulfilling our potential both as individuals and a species. As a Politician once said there is nothing to fear but fear itself and I believe fear is a tool that many people in power use to try to control the populace. We must face the fear and put it in its place before it devours us and creates a world that is chaotic.

Fear has started many of wars, it has created mass hysteria such as the War of The Worlds episode done by Orson Wells. Fear is even a greater enemy to mankind than anger and or greed. Fear can destroy just one person as well as a whole society of it goes unchecked. The shame is most fear is created by either misinformation or the lack of understanding. Even though our modern society has become desensitized to many things both good and bad we still seem so ready to embrace fear. Though fear has its place it is seems to be running wildly through the world. Look how easy the stock market is effected by negative outlooks and reports.

This is not the time for fear but the time for hope and for coming up with solutions. We just need to learn to either control our fear or to put it behind us for the good of mankind. Fear is the enemy of progress and the stumbling block of humanity.

 

Well that’s my 2 cents worth.
Though I could be either wrong or right, I have no fear in expressing my thoughts.

Raymond Barbier

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Thursday, August 18, 2011

With a fair and balanced solution

The western front of the United States Capitol...

A Indecisive and argumentative congress along with all the political rhetoric is creating problems all across the board. The inability of our congress to come to a reasonable and balanced decision on how to balance the budget is effecting not only the credit ratings of The U.S. it is also effecting the stock market and the national economical growth. Our Congress needs to put aside political ideologies and get over the fear of making unpopular decisions so they can concentrate on the problems at hand. It will probably take a combination of spending cuts and the increasing of tax revenues to bail our selves out of this financial hole our government is in. Warren Buffet even made a statement supporting the idea of taxing the extremely rich (those who have earnings above 1 million dollars a year).

In the end it always comes down to the middle class as the ones to carry the largest part of the burden financially when it comes to stabilizing the economy and in paying taxes. Even though the tax increases might be focused on the rich it usually trickles down to the middle class consumer and worker in one form or another. This is a sad fact of the reality of capitalism and our nations financial system.  To be honest being a lower middle class person myself I do not mind a slight tax increase in order to keep the entitlements such as social security and Medicaid / Medicare alive for our seniors. There is a few things we can do as Americans to help get our country back on track, things such as buying saving bonds, treasury bills and investing in the stock market. The Congress needs to grow up and face reality as well as put aside their political differences to get the job done when it comes to our national debt.

Buying U.S. T-bills is a very patriotic and sound investment. By buying T-Bills you are buying up American debt, this takes away from the debt that other countries own and helps finance our own government. To be honest I know our country is going to be debt for a very long time and I would rather the debt be owned by fellow Americans than any other nation. If we are going to look to the federal government to take care of all the woes and needs of our great nation we have the responsibility to help finance such measures. Like it or not any governmental intervention, subsidy and or entitlement has a price tag attached to it. We can not expect great things without having a some sort of price attached. So we either need to cut the fat and have less help from our federal government or we have to pay higher taxes in order to maintain the programs in place. The option of doing a little of both is also possible but it seems that our government is too caught up in their politics to be able to come up with a fair and balanced solution.

 

Well that is my two cents worth on the economy and what is going on today.
Wrong or right, It is here for all to see.

 

Peace and Love to All
Raymond Barbier

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Saturday, August 13, 2011

You are the only one who can change it.

007Sometimes life can throw you a curve ball or serve you lemons. Usually it came from something you’ve done in your past, the fact all actions have equal and if not opposite reactions plays a part in life as well as in physics. Though there are external forces that play a part in it but usually they just nudge your life's direction more than control it. its your reactions to situations and the initial actions you have chosen that shapes your life’s course. You are the captain of your destiny as well as the master of your own fate. Unless an act of god or force of nature intervenes you will wind up exactly were you have led yourself through your choices along the path of life. The good news is that it isn't  too late to change course, you just have to make the right choices and put action behind your good intentions to see a change in both the course of your life and your current fate / destiny.

even the smallest of changes in your daily routine can influence the final outcome of your current life;s path. The hardest part isn't making the choice but to actually make the changes in your self and in your life routine to change the direction you currently are heading. Simply said but not simply executed, the choice to change is always a hard to accomplish but well worth the effort kind of thing to do. No other person can make your life what you want it to be, you are the only one who can make the choices and changes necessary to make your life better.

“If your life is not all you want it to be, just remember you are the only one who can change it”. ~ Raymond Barbier

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Saturday, August 6, 2011

You don't have to agree with each other

010

living life with a self-imposed moral code within our thoughts and  actions. To live by what you perceive as right and wrong along with finding compassion for both yourself and others. Principles taught  by philosophers, religions and visionaries through out mankind's existence. Why does it seem such great ideals seem to be lost or ignored by those who are either in power or that have the greatest capacity to change the world we live in? Why is it such things as honor and compassion seem to be things of occasional use than the daily practice of all human beings? Why does it seem that religion has started more wars than it has saved lives or helped the needy? Most religion teaches us to have compassion and to help out our fellow humans as well as to do what is right and what to avoid as far as the wrong. but yet too many wars have been fought over Holy landmarks and over which is the one true religion. So sad that mankind can take the scripture of any religion and find in it a reason to kill other humans. Anger, greed and intolerance are not what most religions teach yet this is what some of the followers seem to think it is about. All of mankind are brothers and sisters and we all live on the same small planet called earth. I can not see why we can not just get along and work together for a better world instead of fighting over religion, natural resources and for the sake of national pride.

Personally I could care less what religion another human being choses for that is their god given right to do so. Nor do I worry over Holy landmarks or icons for the whole world is a creation of god so therefore all of it is Holy in its creation and existence. I do understand though why others may find significance in holy places and that in itself isn't a problem. It is when certain holy landmarks are claimed by multiple religions it tends to cause problems. I never could see why that each religion couldn’t just share the holy places. Respect each other and the beliefs that they choose and in turn they should respect you and yours the same. But this is not an ideal world and religious leaders are not perfect in any means so they will always will have their problems till the end of time. Though that isn't necessarily the only choice they have but it is the only one they seem to want to choose.

The good news is that as individuals we have not only the right but the ability to choose a more peaceful and more tolerant way of coexisting with others in this world. We don’t have to fall to anger,greed, intolerance or prejudice. We can choose to love one another regardless of flaws, faults or our differences. The choice is ours and no one can make the choice for us. No government, religious leader or military force can change the minds of others. They can only force you to hide your true beliefs as well as pretend to believe as they do. For war and conflict they are not the right way to change the world, it is done through compassionate actions and through wisdom being taught. Though change sometimes takes a long time to come it always will but usually through the minds and hearts of the people more so than through the sword.

To be clear there are times the sword may be the only choice but it should always be the last choice in a do or die situation. All other avenues should be exhausted before such a terrible thing as war or conflict should be considered. I myself would never seek out any type of negative action such as war or to kill another human being, I find taking the lives of others into my hands as such is to play as if I am god and that is definitely not an option for me. I am a mere human being and I try to do what I see as good for both myself and all other living creatures on this planet. Having my own faults I don’t always succeed in making the right choices but I put my best effort in trying to avoid hurting others when I make choices. Sometimes it is unavoidable and I usually suffer from a conscience that will not allow me to forget.

Live by the moral code of your choosing and avoid causing suffering of any kind while you walk the path of life. If you must be judgmental try to judge kindly for you are judged by the way you judge others. Learn to forgive both yourself and others for the shortcomings we all seem to bear. Treat others with kindness for it is the right thing to do and it also may be returned to you when you are in need. Be slow to anger and quick to cool down, for anger is the path to destruction. And always remember you don’t have to agree with each other, you just have to respect each others right to believe as they wish.

Well that’s enough of this fools thoughts for today.
Peace and wisdom guide your hearts.
Raymond Barbier

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Monday, August 1, 2011

The physical life as a classroom for the soul

Rembrandt's Philosopher in Meditation (detail). I always had the question of why am I here and what is the purpose of my life? Many years I pondered on that question, sought out the question through self-examination and discovery. Always coming up short and lacking the definite answer. Now in my mid 40’s I think it finally hit me, I am here to be the best me I can be, to live my life to the fullest for both myself and god. The meaning of life is life itself, the purpose of life is to be the best person you can be.

For I see the physical life as a classroom for the soul, a place for us to learn to be compassionate and to learn to overcome the great obstacle of the Ego. The ego is the part of oneself that is selfish and seeks out its own gratification. It is the presence of the flesh and thus it wishes to satisfy the flesh’s lusts and desires. The true self is the living spirit god gave us, it’s the part that feels compassion, love and is always  selfless in its actions and in its intentions. It longs for peace, happiness and for harmony in life. Life is the battlefield between these two parts of our consciousness and the purpose of life is to learn from the battle and from the mistakes and or correct choices we make.

 

Well enough about that, Blessings to you all

Raymond Barbier

” I am more than the sum of all my experiences” ~ Raymond Barbier

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Letting Go , Letting God and The Magnitude of God’s Love

Jesus is considered by scholars such as Weber ... I have noticed that letting go is one of the hardest actions to perform, be it letting go of your mistakes in the past or the mistakes of others. I find it so much easier to forgive others than to forgive myself for the mistakes and poor choices made in the past. Seems I am harder on my own self than on those I know and care for. Don’t get me wrong I can be a butt head sometimes to others but in general I have the live and let live attitude. Even when I am able to forgive myself for the wrongs I had committed it still takes a long time for me to forget and let it go.

Though I know my mother wasn’t the first to coin the phrase let go and let God but she is the first one that told me that. Letting God take it all is easy only if I can let it all go, I know in God’s hands I am safe but still I find letting it go hard. Slowly but surely I am learning to turn over my fears, desires, doubts and the mistakes of my past to the will and love of God. As I do the past becomes just that and it is no longer having the influence it used to over my present. The grace of God is what helps me let go of the things I can't seem to let go of and his love and mercy helps me get through this harsh world we all live in.

We all sin, we all fall short of the glory of God, But through his son Jesus we are granted  a pardon for our sins and through such grace we are shown the magnitude of God’s love. Jesus tried to teach us to love one another, to share each others burdens and to avoid being judgmental. Compassion not only towards family and friends but even those we see as enemies. He tried to show us a more enlightened path as well as a more humane way of existence. He loved us and believed in our potential enough to die and save us from the sinful nature within us all. He set an example for us to follow both in his teachings and in how he lived his life.

May God bless you all and the Light of truth guide you on your life's journey
Raymond Barbier

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Posted by Ray Barbier at 5:57 PM 0 comments
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